Cessna Citation Ten to make first flight by year-end

The Citation Ten is scheduled to make its first flight by year-end 2011, with first deliveries planned for the second half of 2013, Cessna officials said on opening day of the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibit.

The Ten is a mid-size aircraft with uprated design and performance, enabling it to fly higher, faster and further than the existing Citation X (Model 750), the world’s fastest certified business jet, according to company officials. First announced at the 2010 National Business Aviation Association convention, the Citation Ten is designed for nine passengers and two pilots.

The two Rolls-Royce AE 3007C2 engines will take a 36,600 pound MTOW Citation Ten off the ground in 5,140 feet and give the aircraft a maximum cruise speed of 527 knots and a certified ceiling of 51,000 feet. The Ten has a maximum range of 3,245 nautical miles, putting city pairings such as New York-London, Boston-San Francisco, London-Dubai and Miami-Seattle within one-hop flights, Cessna officials said,